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The second Hogs Back branch was a former Little Chef restaurant located on the eastbound side of the A31 near Seale, Surrey. It replaced the original Hogs Back branch.

Address and Onsite Facilities[]

ADDRESS: Hogs Back, Tongham, Farnham, GU10 1EU

ONSITE FACILITIES: Esso, ASDA On the Move, Cinnabon, Greggs, Subway, Krispy Kreme and Starbucks on the Go.

For more information, visit Motorway Services Online.

History[]

In the 1980s, Forte built a service station on the A31 between Farnham and Guildford, sporting a Happy Eater restaurant and a filling station. With a Little Chef (located 1 mile to the west of the services) already operating in full swing, it made sense for Forte to increase the representation of their other brand. Both Little Chef and Happy Eater were positioned on a single carriageway road, meaning that they could be easily accessed by all traffic on the road. The Happy Eater was housed inside of a large building which gave some fantastic views across the Hogs Back countryside (if it was a clear day, you could see London!) so it certainly was a restaurant that you could enjoy dining at. Both restaurants traded until 1993 when there were some changes.

In August 1993, the section of the A31 that the Little Chef and Happy Eater was located on was in the process of being bypassed by a new dual carriageway upgrade. Whilst the Happy Eater happily survived and continued to trade, the Little Chef sadly closed. Soon after the closure of the Little Chef, it was demolished and turned into housing.

However, this was not the end for Little Chef in the area as, between 1996 and 1997, the Happy Eater was turned into a Little Chef by then owners Granada. This followed research done by Forte, revealing that Little Chef was more lucrative than Happy Eater, leading them to start a programme of converting Happy Eaters to Little Chefs. Granada took over Forte in 1995 and continued this work.

The restaurant traded until around 2004/05 following the sale of 131 Little Chef restaurants by the owners Permira when they put Little Chef up for sale. The sites that were usually up for sale were normally quieter ones without a lodge. The restaurant has since been demolished in order to enlarge the once neighbouring Esso filling station. 

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